Dale Everett Swanson (February 22, 1918 in

Castana, Iowa Castana is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 107 at the time of the 2020 census. History A post office has been in operation at Castana since 1865. Castana was platted in 1886 by the railroad. The name Castana was s ...

January 28, 1996) was an American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

driver and owner. Swanson lived on

Harlan, Iowa Harlan is a city in Shelby County, Iowa, along the West Nishnabotna River. The population was 4,893 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Shelby County. History Harlan was platted in 1858. It was named for one of Iowa's earl ...

, and became one of the premiere racing engine builders in the 1940s and 1950s. Though he started his racing career driving in the coupe circuit in the late 1940s in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, he was better known for his car building expertise. He was often referred to as a "mechanical genius". Swanson owned the cars driven by Harlan native and racing champion

Johnny Beauchamp Johnny Beauchamp (March 23, 1923 – April 17, 1981) was an American NASCAR driver from Harlan, Iowa. He is best known for finishing second in the 1959 Daytona 500 in a photo finish after being declared the unofficial winner. In 23 starts, he ...

from 1956 to 1957. In the mid-1950s, Swanson was sponsored by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

's Racing Division to compete in IMCA racing events. Swanson and driver Johnny Beauchamp had stood the IMCA stock car series on its head in 1956 by winning 43 features and running away with the series Championship. Swanson was one of the most knowledgeable mechanics in racing when it came to the Chevrolet. Another Harlan, Iowa racing legend, 1963 Daytona 500 winner

Tiny Lund DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund (November 14, 1929 – August 17, 1975) was an American stock car racer. He was a journeyman racer-for-hire in the top level NASCAR Grand National Series, running partial seasons for a number of years, including a vict ...

, also drove for Swanson in the early 1950s. Swanson's racing work continued up until the late 1970s at racetracks in Iowa and Nebraska.

Personal life

Swanson was the son of Theodore and Neva Swanson. He died January 28, 1996U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Number: 480-18-5943; Issue State: Iowa; Issue Date: Before 1951 in Harlan, Iowa.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swanson, Dale Racing drivers from Iowa 1918 births 1996 deaths NASCAR team owners People from Harlan, Iowa